Beautiful Disaster
by CreativeKarma
Summary: Months have passed since Reid was reunited with Catherine. Now, a new case has come up. Women abducted then found dead with a bit of poetry left behind. Reid convinces Hotch that Catherine would be a valuable asset for this case. With a girl's life on the line, will she be rescued in time and will close quarters make Reid see Catherine in a new light?
1. Prologue

"Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation"

-Kahlil Gibran

~Prologue~

Late in the evening, a young woman emerged from a hair salon in Euless, TX. Being the last customer of the night, the staff of the salon closed the locked the door behind her.

The woman looked back, smiled, and waved to the woman at the door. As she turned back around to head to her car, she flipped her newly dyed red hair over her right shoulder. Automatically, she adjusted the large black purse hanging off that same shoulder.

She tightened the belt on her light brown trench coat as her blue eyes scanned the nearly empty parking lot around her. Only a few cars were left in the parking lot but she didn't pay them any attention as she pulled her car keys out of her pocket.

Her black heels clacked against the paved parking lot as the hem of her black trousers softly brushed and flapped against each other.

For just a moment, she lowered her blue eyes down to her keys to look at her automatic door opener as she neared her silver Chrysler four door car.

She looked back up as she clicked the unlock button and was about to reach for the door handle when a figure shot out of the darkness behind her.

The woman began to fight back and scream for help as a white cloth, held by a hand covered in a black glove, was smothered against her nose and mouth cutting her screams down to a whisper that no one could hear.

A strong arm covered in a black sleeve kept her pressed tightly back against the much taller man.

"Do not worry my love. I will take you home. Back where you belong. Do not fear," the strange male voice said into the woman's ear.

She furrowed her brow at the odd comforting remarks but she didn't have long to think about them as the chloroform on the white handkerchief did its work. Slowly, she went under.

Aaron Hotcher was sitting in his office going over his paperwork from a case they had closed the previous week.

A faint knock on the door drew his eyes up from his paperwork to see Jennifer Jareau standing in the open doorway.

"Have a moment, Hotch?" J.J. asked.

"Of course, come on in," Hotch closed the file in front of him to give J.J. his full attention.

J.J. came up to his desk with a file tucked up under her arm as she sat in the chair across from him. She held out the file out for him to take.

"This report just came up from Euless, TX. Monica Vorenburg was seen leaving from a hair salon late but she never made it back home on a drive that was only thirty minutes away from her home," J.J summarized.

"One abduction and the local P.D. are calling us in?" Hotch asked sounding suspicious as he opened the file and flipped through the details inside.

"Actually, when the local P.D. were looking into disappearances they checked with the surrounding cities since it's more than common for people to travel a couple of cities over for work or school and they discovered that this abduction is the third in a string of abductions in the Dallas area over the past three years. They were all taken late in the afternoon on November 3rd. The first two women were taken from outside the last place they were seen and then found days later dead in a local park. Both bodies had notes left with them. The police believe it is the same person for all three abductions and if the person behind all of this sticks to the pattern, then the woman only has two more days before she is killed as well."

"Call the team together, if this is the same unsub then we only have a short time to get on the trail."

Hotch closed the file and handed it back to J.J.

"Yes sir."

She took the file, rose from her seat and briskly walked out of his office.

Moments later, the BAU team was assembled in their conference room.

Penelope Garcia sat in her usual chair and turned on the flat screen on the wall showing pictures of all three women. One had short black hair with green eyes, the second had long and straight red hair to her shoulders with blue eyes, and the third had long red hair to the middle of her back and green eyes.

"From left to right we have Coryn Sanders, age 36; Patricia Kernighan, age 35; and Monica Vorenburg, age 39. Each one was taken from outside a post office in Dallas, TX; cleaners in Irving, TX; and a hair salon in Euless, TX respectively. Each on the same day November 3rd one year after another," Garcia began.

"Besides being taken on the exact same day what other connection do these women have to each other?" Derek Morgan asked.

"According to the information sent in by the various police departments, nothing. They lived in different cities and don't have any places where they all frequented," J.J. replied.

"Precisely and this is where things get creepy my dears because if this is the same unsub for each crime then three days after they are abducted, they are killed and dumped in a local park to be discovered by some unsuspecting jogger. And it only gets creepier. A typed note was left with each body," Garcia continued.

"What was typed onto the note?" David Rossi asked.  
"As far as the police can tell they are lines of poetry," Garcia replied. "They faxed over copies of the quotes for us to look at."

J.J. passed the copies around the table.

Spencer Reid looked over the copies squinting slightly. "It is poetry all right. From the Romantic Period of authors by the style." He looked up to the team as he spoke. "This style of writing was made famous by authors like Keats, Byron and others. For the unsub to know these authors that well they would have had to either study extensively or do research to locate these precise lines."

"So, the unsub might have a degree in this line of study?" Morgan asked.

"It's possible. People who study English in college tend to choose a particular focus for their degree once they get to the Master or PhD levels of study," Reid provided. "It'd be more likely a student, former student or a professor than just the casual reader to know these lines and use them on even a limited basis."

"So Monica was the most recent one to be abducted," Morgan stated.

"She was abducted yesterday after leaving the hair salon where she had an appointment. Apparently, she's not a natural red head," Garcia joked.

"What about Patricia?" Morgan asked.

"Ah, you have followed the breadcrumbs. Yes, Patricia is a natural red head but unlike either Monica or Coryn her eyes are naturally green and was wearing contacts to make her eyes blue. And to add the cherry to the top of this odd little cake, near Coryn's body they also found a red hair wig she had been wearing over her black hair," Garcia pointed out.

"A wig?" Rossi asked in surprise.

"She was on her way to a friend's birthday party that was a costume party," Garcia added to explain the addition.

"So when each of the women was taken, they were seen as redheads with blue eyes. Seems like the unsub has a type of woman he is looking for and he didn't find it in the first two women," Hotch offered as a possible connection between the women and the unsub.

"So that's why the unsub is killing the women he's taking. He finds out that they only fit his type because of artifice instead of naturally," Reid said with a ring of surety to his normally timid voice.

"We only have a short window in which to find Monica. In the next two days sometime the unsub might discover that she had her hair dyed and she could end up being the next victim. Everyone pack up. We will lift off in thirty," Hotch spoke with his air of command and leadership.

The team rose from their seats, gathering their things, and heading out of the meeting room but Reid hung back with Hotch.

Reid looked over to Hotch, his lips twitching as he worked on how to begin.

"You need something, Reid?" Hotch asked.

"Actually, I had a suggestion for something that would help us with this case," Reid said his voice showing his timid personality and uncertainty.

"What is it, Reid?"

Reid's lips twitched around a bit more as he looked to the ground then back to Hotch.

"Actually, it's someone. I know of someone who has studied this period of authors exclusively and would be able to be an on hand source for this information."

"Who?"

He paused a moment before answering. "Catherine."

"Reid…"

"I know she's not an agent or even trained for things like this. But Hotch, she is a professional in this field and we use those all the time for work like this. Besides, she's no stranger to an abduction case and how we work."

Hotch looked squarely at Reid for a moment, his expression serious.

"I can't promise anything but if she can come in before we take off I will see."

Reid nodded and headed out to contact Catherine.

Fifteen minutes later, a young yet short in stature brunette woman walked into the BAU office. Her brunette hair was carefully styled where it fell down to her shoulders. Intelligent hazel eyes were framed by a pair of rectangular black glasses.

Her makeup was carefully done to look like she barely had any on but her features were highlighted to their best advantage.

This young woman wore a short sleeve blouse with a watercolor like pattern of blues flowing over the fabric that ended just above a black A-line skirt with medium blue pen striping that stopped just below her knees. Her shapely legs were encased in flesh tone thigh highs ending where her feet were covered by a simple pair of black kitten heels.

She looked around the office seeming to be lost.

Morgan looked up from his desk where he had just finished packing with the rest of the team to see the woman standing there. He strolled over confidently to her with a gentle smile on his lips.

"Excuse me miss, may I help you?" Morgan asked politely.

That brought a chuckle to her lips that shone in her eyes.

"Miss…I know I changed somewhat since I last saw you but I did not think it was that much, Mr. Morgan," the now recognizable voice of Catherine sounded.

Morgan looked appropriately shocked as he looked over her.

"Catherine, you certainly have changed. What brings you here?"

"Reid called me. Told me that your boss actually wanted to talk to me about some case or something, he wasn't too descriptive."

"Oh, I see. Hotch is up in his office. Right over there." Morgan motioned off to his right.

Catherine looked over to where he was motioning then back to him.

"Thank you very much. It was nice to see you again." She smiled and turned to head up to Hotch's office.

By that time the rest of the team, sans Reid, had seen the interaction and joined Morgan with their bags in hand.

"Who was that?" Garcia asked.

"Remember me telling you about the girl Reid knew on that case a few months ago?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah. You said her name was Catherine. What about her?"

"That was her."

They all looked up to the woman nearing Hotch's office door. The ones that knew her looked shocked.

"She really has settled into a new life here," Rossi said.

Reid was settled into one of the chairs in front of Hotch's desk behind where Hotch sat.

At the knock on the door, they both looked over.

"Come in," Hotch called out.

Catherine opened the door and stepped inside looking between the two men before closing the door behind her.

"Hello again Agent," she said as she crossed the room.

Hotch rose and shook her hand before they both took their respective chairs.

"It seems like a long time since we've last seen you. You appear to be doing well."

Catherine smiled. "Well, I don't think I would have without Spencer's help. He really got everything moving in the right direction for me." She said as she crossed her legs and smoothed her skirt over her legs.

Hotch nodded.

"Reid called you because we have a new case."

"And…does it involve me somehow?" She furrowed her brows growing concerned.

"Not directly. However, Reid seems to believe that you have some knowledge what would be helpful with the case."  
"Oh?"

Hotch picked up the copies of the quotes and held them out to Catherine.

She leaned forward and took them from him. Slowly, she began to read over the untitled and unsigned quotes.

"Well, the first one here is a passage from "The Eolian Harp" by Samuel Coleridge. The second is a passage from "She walks in beauty" by Lord Bryon. They were both writers in the Romantic Period of writers from 1785 to 1830. And…I'd have to see the original of these but it looks like these were typed on an old typewriter instead of a computer."

She looked back up to Hotch.

"I presume that is the knowledge you are referring to?" she asked.

Hotch nodded as he leaned forward onto his desk.

"There's more."

Catherine placed the copies in her lap as she looked seriously at him.

"The originals of those pieces of paper were found folded up on the bodies of two women who were murdered last year and the year before. They were dumped in local parks three days after they were abducted by someone looking for a specific type of woman."

Catherine frowned slightly at that but maintained her composure.

"And what is this type?" she asked.

"Young women with red hair and blue eyes."

"That is very specific."

Hotch folded his hands together on his desk.

"I will have to admit that you do know the things we need to know about the writing this unsub is using but…"

She took a breath and looked at him steadily. "But you want to know if I can handle this...the pressure that you guys are facing and whether or not I could deal with the possible media publicity."

Hotch nodded. "Precisely."

She clasped her hands on her lap as she locked eyes with Hotch.

"Honestly Agent Hotchner, I know I'm not a police woman, an analyst, or a profiler. I'm more than aware the only thing I'm currently allowed to carry by law is mace or pepper spray and a whistle which doesn't really do that much good in the long run. I'm also more than aware that despite the notoriety of the case that we first met I wasn't exactly in the public eye and on the wrong end of a dangerous man of which I took matters into my own hands.

"Bearing those things in mind, I have this in reply. I don't foresee the need of my physical action in any way but I have received some very thorough self defense training to make sure I would be less of a target in most situations while also helping to decrease the fear I had and still have of the same thing happening again. I certainly won't lie and say I'm 100 percent cured.

"Now, if I have to see the bodies of a woman or more that are beaten up then I know I wouldn't be able to simply look at them dispassionately. I can truthfully tell you that I would have to walk away; however, my past experiences would give me at least the ability to keep from losing my cool completely. When it comes down to the fact side of things, I can promise you that I will be able to focus 100 percent on the task and make sure you know everything you would need to know for your case. Or maybe more as Reid could attest sometimes considering the Master of Arts degree I currently have along with the PhD in English Language, Literature, and Research I'm working to obtain.

"Finally, about my previous actions I spoke of, I'm very aware I'm not qualified to undertake such a thing on my own and what I did back then was more than reckless on my part. On that note, I can give you my promise here and now that I won't undertake any thing like that on my own without your permission. I know what my capacity is to be though considering my past history I think, if the situation should arise, in the case of family or friends of these victims I could be of value as someone who has seen the other side and the good that can come of not only their help but also that someone else that's not a member of the B.A.U. or the F.B.I. can understand what they are going through."

Catherine sat back and let her words settle into the silence that followed.

Reid looked from Catherine back to Hotch with a small smirk on his lips.

Hotch eyed Catherine for a moment, glanced at Reid and then sat back into his chair looking at both of them.

"When can you be ready to leave?" Hotch asked.

Catherine's smile warmed her face instantly. "Actually, knowing the way this might have turned out and the fact I was at home when Reid called…I packed. My suitcase is in the car knowing if I was going I would need to be ready in a hurry."

Hotch smiled at that.

"Then, welcome aboard. We leave in fifteen minutes."


	2. Chapter 1

~Chapter 1~

"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind." ~William Shakespeare

Agent Hotchner led Doctor Reid, J.J, and Catherine, into the police station in Euless, TX. Their arrival brought all the eyes in the station upon them. Catherine had been given a clip on ID badge stating her link to the BAU for the case.

The Chief of police walked over from where she had been speaking to one of her officers. She held out her hand to Agent Hotcher as she smiled.

"Welcome, I'm Chief Landry. I'm happy you got here so quickly," she said as she shook Agent Hotchner's hand.

"I'm Agent Hotchner of the B.A.U. This is Doctor Reid, Jennifer Jareau and Catherine Harmon who will be consulting on this case," Hotch said as he introduced the pair behind him. "Agents Morgan and Rossi are en route to the abduction site."

Reid only nodded with a slight wave to the Chief while Catherine smiled and spoke a soft greeting.

J.J. smiled and shook the hand offered to her. "A pleasure ma'am."

"Well, I have the board set up like you asked," the Chief motioned to a board off to the side of the main room they stood in.

"Thank you very much Chief Landry," Hotch replied as he led the group off towards the standing white board and table that had been cleared for them.

Catherine looked about the police station as they passed through it. She absently placed her black computer bag in one of the available chairs as she looked over to the board with the current information. Her eyes looked over the crime scene photos and information about the woman who had just gone missing as well as the other two women that had been abducted.

"Excuse me for asking, but what exactly do you need a consultant for on this case?" Chief Landry asked.

Catherine glanced from the police chief to Hotch. He simply nodded to her and then looked to Chief Landry.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" he suggested.

Landry looked to Catherine who was all ready looking at her steadily.

"Just what sort of consulting are you doing here?" the chief asked suspiciously.

"You mean to ask just what is my purpose here?" Catherine queried in response.

"Exactly."

Catherine smiled softly. "Judging by the poetry left behind with each victim I can all ready tell you that you are not looking for some homeless or deranged person. This man is highly intelligent and capable.

"And yes, I do say man. The nature of these poems is romantic. While women are romantic in sending poetry they tend towards a more personal touch and would have hand written these letters; however, these were typed on an old fashioned typewriter. Since this perpetrator has decided to use a typewriter to spell out these messages, once you find the typewriter you will find the man behind this. No other typewriter will have the same off sets of letters that this typewriter does.

"I've also all ready judged this man has had some formal studies at a university in the field of English. No one just quotes something like Bryon or Coleridge by accident or stumbling onto the passage in passing. They knew these passages and might have studied these writers specifically during their schooling."

She paused a moment to let the things she had stated so confidently sink in with Chief Landry before resuming.

"I can assure you Chief Landry, my field of study will bring necessary insight into this particular field as it has been my life and will save valuable time in locating and stopping this man from taking any more women."

Chief Landry seemed a little flustered as Catherine finished her speech. She nodded briefly before slowly turning to the rest of the team.

"Well, I'll…let you guys get to work then," Landry stated rather meekly before walking away.

Catherine watched her walk away before looking back to the team herself.

"Well, that got my brain cells working," she chimed with a smile.

Reid chuckled softly before looking to Hotch.

"I'm thinking maybe we should give her title as doctor for now considering she is working on a doctorate. It might smooth the way a bit easier for us," Reid suggested.

Hotch nodded, "Yes, that seems like the best thing considering the circumstances."

He glanced to Catherine. "You spoke about the unsub with great clarity there. Are you sure about your theories?" Hotch inquired.

She nodded as she responded, "I know I'm right about the type writer and the education. The gender is the only thing I'm not 100 percent sure on. The only reason I have to believe that this is a man besides the things I mentioned is based on the heights of the women that are missing. Each of them is 5'5" or over and they all physically fit.

"If a woman was strong enough to subdue these women then she would have to have to strength to hold these women while they fought her. For a woman that would be difficult unless they are just that strong but for a man it would be easier to control the struggles of a woman."

"So, if it is a woman or a man how would they be abducting these women?" Hotch questioned aloud as he looked to the board.

Reid gave an encouraging smile to Catherine as he set his own bag down and replied, "Whether it was a woman or a man, considering they are being taken in very public places, despite the time of day they are being taken at, they would have to move quickly. Even something as common as chloroform would do the trick but it would take time to take effect; as Catherine stated a woman might have a hard time holding them for that long."

"So the probability that this is a male unsub is much higher than that of a female at this point," J.J. stated.

"I have a question actually. While this woman was taken from here in Euless, where the other two women taken?" Catherine questioned.

"According to the reports sent in by the police following these cases, the second victim was a resident in Irving, TX where she was taken from outside a dry cleaners and the first victim was from Dallas, TX and abducted from outside a post office," J.J. replied having looked over the files.

"So…the unsub then…seems to be working outward from Dallas slowly considering these women were taken one year apart from each other and held for three days a piece," Catherine began as she tried to voice her thoughts.

Reid looked to Catherine, "I see what you mean." He looked to Hotch and J.J. "With the way this unsub is acting, they might be living in one of the cities that these women are being taken from or they have to travel from Dallas to go to work."

"That narrows down the population somewhat but there are a large amount of people in that last category," Hotch responded.

"I have to say, the way this looks that the cities are all in line with each other heading west," Catherine noted absently.

Hotch glanced at the map and spoke mostly to himself, "So the unsub is following a path. In this pattern, it would lead him out towards Bedford next but only in a year from now. If we don't catch this guy now, he may go underground and we'll have to wait another year before he surfaces."

Morgan and Rossi pulled up outside the hair salon where the latest victim had been abducted.

Police 'do not cross' tape surrounded the scene in a large circumference around the victim's car where it still sat in the parking lot waiting for an owner that might not return.

As they exited their black SUV, they easily noted the absence of blood stains at the abduction sight and the presence of the woman's purse lying on the ground nearby.

"Well, seems like the unsub didn't care whether we knew who the woman was or not," Morgan stated calmly.

"So either he's overconfident or there's no previous connection between them that would leave a trail for the police to follow," Morgan explained in a matter-of-fact tone.

A police sergeant strolled towards Rossi and Morgan.

"Welcome to Texas, agents. I'm Sergeant Mitchell," the officer stated.

"I'm Agent Rossi. This is Agent Morgan. What can you tell us about the scene?" Rossi asked.

"The vic's car was found here this morning by her husband. When she didn't come home last night, he headed out to check the places she had been the previous day and found it here. He called the police and reported her missing after confirming with the hair salon that she had been here for her appointment.

"We haven't moved anything from where it was when we arrived. Figured it was best to get your opinion before disturbing the scene," Mitchell stated before heading off to speak with one of the other officers.

Morgan looked over the scene. "Doesn't seem to be much to disturb. The car looks to be locked still. So the unsub must have come at her from behind while she was about to unlock her car door. During the struggle, she drops her purse and the unsub carries her off."

"He must have had a means of transport parked nearby to carry her too. There don't seem to be any signs of struggle or skid marks behind her car. That supports the idea that she didn't see him coming or see anything suspicious nearby," Rossi added.

"Then the unsub must have used chloroform to subdue her quickly. This happened fast," Morgan stated as he turned to Rossi.

"The guy has confidence enough I'll give him that."

Monica slowly came to. She blinked her blue eyes a few times to dispel the haze. What she saw around her appeared to be a room in a large basement. The room was set up like a nice bistro style restaurant.

As she tried to move, she found she couldn't. Her hands were tied to the arms of the chair. She struggled against the tight black ropes feeling frantic.

Just as she was about to scream out for help, a pair of hands gently but firmly grasped the sides of her face. These hands forced her to look up towards the owner of those strong hands.

The person before her was a man. His nicely styled and short brown hair was slowly graying. Hazel eyes looked upon her kindly and a smile turned the man's lips upward.

"Don't be scared, my love," the man's oddly gentle voice soothed. "Soon, everything will be back to the way it was always supposed to be."


	3. Chapter 2

~Chapter 2~

Catherine stood facing the board filled with information, photos, and a large map of Texas with her arms crossed. Her hazel eyes flitted about the typed letters hanging in plastic bags from the board.

Her mind took in where the letter was pressed harder or lighter, which words were darker than others, which letters weren't in line with the others. All the clues to what type of man and his feelings would be in these typed letters and on the bodies themselves.

Yet, she knew that she wouldn't know anything about the bodies. Catherine was more and sure she would freeze up if she was faced with the bodies of the murdered women; however, a question was echoing in the back of her mind.

"What do you think so far?" Rossi's voice questioned from behind Catherine.

She whipped her head around as she was pulled out of her thoughts. Slowly, she gathered herself and uncrossed her arms to offer her thoughts to Rossi.

"He is obsessed with these women," she stated in a very matter-of-fact manner.

"What makes you say that?" he asked as he moved around the room towards Catherine.

She turned back to the letters hanging from the board and pointed towards the first typed note, "Here in the lines from the 'Eolian Harp', you can see that the letters look very uniform in the amount of pressure applied to the keys but as soon as you get to the words 'thee' and 'Maid' the pressure applied to those keys is harder making the words darker. The same thing happens in the later quotes where they mention a woman.

"In order, the verses become more and more obsessed. The first one talked about how he was given this woman and the second tells about the beauty of this woman."

Rossi looked over the letters as she spoke.

"It seems our unsub has picked these women for a reason and won't stop till he finds the right one," Rossi commented.

"It makes me wonder…" Catherine muttered softly.

"What is it?"

"Not sure yet. Though I do have a question about the letter themselves…where were they found on the bodies? Were they in the women's pockets, in their purses, or were they holding them?"

"According to the officers on the scene, the notes were found leaned up against the bodies of the women."

"Not in their hands or something but just near them?"

"Exactly…it's like he doesn't want to disturb the bodies after he placed them there. He cares about them even though they aren't what he is looking for."

"I got the feeling that…well…I mean he's looking for someone. But…what if he lost someone and now he's trying to get that back?"

Rossi was about to respond when Hotch came back in the room followed by Morgan and Reid.

"The coroners have come together and set up a viewing of both bodies so we can see them side by side. Catherine, I want you to come with Morgan and I to the coroner's office to tell us what you think so far. Reid, stay here with Rossi and J.J. I want to know everything about the movement of the victims the day they were abducted and where the dumpsites are located in relation to their homes," Hotch commanded as he looked among the members of the team.

Catherine felt apprehensive but nodded. "Yes sir."

She moved to follow Hotch and Morgan as they left the room. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the encouraging smile from Reid just before she headed out of the room.

Reid came over and looked over at the board filled with the information they had gathered so far.

"I have to say…I'm impressed, Reid," Rossi remarked.

Reid looked over to Rossi looking confused. "Impressed with what?"

"Catherine," Rossi spoke as it was obvious. He glanced to Reid. "I didn't expect her to do very well in this situation. She wasn't trained for but she's handling herself in a very professional manner."

"I knew Catherine a long time ago…even back then…she never spoke her mind unless she was confident that what she said was fact or she felt strongly enough about it to express it. Even after everything she's gone through…I think it has only become more a part of her. She's…grown into herself," Reid explained with the added emphasis that showed how high the regard was that he held for her.

Rossi watched Reid as he spoke. "In any case, she has some potential for this kind of work I think. I'll get the police started on getting the files about these women." He headed out of the room to talk with the police chief.

Hotch, Morgan, and Catherine arrived at the corner's office and headed into the morgue to view the bodies of the victims.

As the trio entered the morgue, an older man looked up from his position on one side of the two tables holding the bodies. He pushed his wire black framed glasses up onto his nose.

Hotch moved up to the front while Catherine and Morgan stopped on either side of him but slightly behind him.

"I'm SSA Hotchner from the BAU. This is SSA Morgan and Doctor Harmon," Hotch spoke with authority as he gave the introductions.

"Welcome, it'll be nice to catch the person that's behind these killings. I'm Doctor Ryder," the coroner stated.

Catherine nodded keeping her eyes mostly on the coroner to avoid looking at the body as long as she could.

"What can you tell us about the victims?" Hotch questioned.

"Both of the victims were healthy and had no other medical conditions. The first victim Coryn Sanders was 36 and had short black hair and blue eyes. The second victim was Patricia Kernighan, age 35. She has red hair and green eyes but we found the remnants of a blue contact on her clothing," Ryder stated.

"What do you mean by remnants of a blue contact?" Morgan questioned.

Doctor Ryder sighed. "The contact appeared to be torn but it wasn't till we started on the autopsy that we found some fragments of the contact in her eye."

Catherine looked confused as she worked on staying analytical as she looked down at the face of the girl in front of her whose head had actually been shaved. She looked across to the other body and she saw the red hair under the sheet. Quickly, she looked up to Ryder.

"Was her head shaved when you found her?" Catherine asked.

Doctor Ryder nodded and responded, "We found her bald in the park but her friend confirmed she had black hair originally."

Hotch glanced to Catherine and then looked back to the coroner.

"You said you found fragments of the contact in the second victim's eye," he spoke with a questioning lilt to his voice.

Ryder motioned them over to the other table. Once they were situated around the table, he slowly drew back the sheet covering her face. The eye lids had some slices through them that had been stitched closed.

"The victim had apparently been stabbed multiple times in both eyes. It was the eventual brain trauma that led to her death."

Catherine looked for a moment at the body then found she had to look away.

Morgan noticed and gently placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and motioned her towards the doors as if he had something to discuss with her. Hotch glanced back at them as they headed out of the morgue before looking back to Ryder.

"Did she have any other damage done to her other than to her eyes?" he inquired.

"She had a few bruises that suggest defensive wounds."

"So she was alive when the attacker stabbed her eyes?"

"Unfortunately, death wasn't quick until the knife made it behind her eyes. The force behind these strikes is an amazing amount of force and anger."

Hotch glanced back to the other victim.

"What was the cause of death for Coryn Sanders?"

"Asphyxiation by strangulation. Again it suggests a crime of passion," Ryder spoke with complete confidence.

"Thank you, Doctor Ryder. Will you send your full report to the police station for my team?" Hotch requested.

"Of course, I'll get right on that," Ryder replied.

"Thanks," Hotch added as he headed out to find Morgan and Catherine.

It wasn't long till he found them standing in the foyer of the coroner's office. He looked to Catherine.

"Are you all right?" he asked showing a bit of concern.

Catherine looked to Hotch and nodded.

"Yeah, I was all right till the other body. I doubt I'll ever be a coroner," Catherine added trying for a joking demeanor.

"If you ever have to step out, don't feel like you have to stay. This isn't a normal part of your usual job and you don't have to push yourself if you don't feel up to it," Hotch offered.

"Thanks but I think I'll be all right. I'll keep that in mind though," she nodded with a faint smile.

"I have to admit for someone who has never done this for a living you contained yourself very well back there," Morgan complimented her.

Catherine smiled and shrugged. "I guess, I mean this means something to someone and that helps to keep my mind focused."

"Back there, you asked the coroner about the first victim's hair…" Hotch trailed off on the open question.

"According to what we know so far, he is only picking up women. While even I know that we don't have much in the way of coincidence…with two women abducted whom, at that time, had red hair and blue eyes, seems too big of a coincidence. He hacked off the first girl's hair because he found out it wasn't red and…he…gouged out the other girl's eyes who weren't blue but green. It makes me think he is specifically looking for a red haired and blue eyed girl in this area otherwise he'd have spread out to other parts of Texas and not just close to Dallas.

"I discussed this with Rossi back at the police station, I feel like he is obsessed with these girls as he tries to find the right one. I think he lost someone, either a sister or a wife or maybe a girlfriend tragically and now he's looking for a replacement."

Monica looked around her surroundings for anything that could help her while the man was out of the room. She looked down to the ties that bound her to the chair. They were ropes but they laid over a soft cloth that kept the rope from biting into her skin.

She flinched as she heard the man come back through the far door. Her eyes watching him closely as he drew near carrying a wash rag, soap, shampoo, conditioner, a hair brush and a hair dyer which he set down on the table in front of her.

He looked to her kindly as he moved over to grab a bucket nearby that by sound alone seemed to have water in it.

"No worries my darling. You are just a little dirty and I'm going to help you clean up. Can't be dirty for our anniversary dinner now can we? Just need to get some of this dirt out of your hair," the man spoke calmly.

Monica stiffened at those last words as she eyed the hair care products. She remembered his comments about her red hair and how much he liked it. How would he react when the color started to fade?


	4. Chapter 3

~Chapter 3~

Hotch, Morgan, and Catherine arrived back at the police station to meet up with the rest of the team who had been working furiously to unearth the movements of the two victims as well as the currently missing woman on the days they were abducted.

As the trio entered the room, Hotch looked among the members sitting at the table.

"What have you guys found out?" Hotch questioned them.

J.J. spoke up first.

"I looked into Coryn Sanders background. She has no close family although she did have a boyfriend she was supposed to be meeting at the party. During the day, she moved about Dallas quite a bit.

"First, she was seen at a bank making a withdrawal, followed by a costume store where she purchased the costume she was wearing when she was taken, and finally the post office where she typically picked up her mail from a P.O. box. The only thing that doesn't fit her usual traveling was the park she was found in. According to her friends, she never even stepped foot in that park."

"So she didn't wear the wig until she bought it the night of the party," Morgan asked in confusion. "If she didn't wear it till then, then why did the unsub pick her?"

"If he's looking for red headed girls and is able to grab them from places they frequent because he's been following them then he would have known about Coryn's black hair," Rossi added.

"With Patricia the pattern makes more sense," Reid began, "she was always known to wear contacts to make her eyes look blue but they were also prescription lenses. She was going to be married in two weeks and had close family. The family had been stated as saying Patricia told them she felt like she was being watched lately but she never saw anyone."

Catherine stepped in then. "What if Coryn was just a victim of chance? What if he saw her with the red hair and took her but found out she didn't have what he was looking for? That would mean he started to be more careful to find women who did have red hair meaning he would have to stalk them first," she suggested.

"If that's true, then that would mean this guy might not have a criminal record at all. He's kept under the radar all this time and seeing a woman with red hair on that specific date was just the perfect storm," Morgan explained.

"What about the last victim, Monica Vorenburg? Does the pattern fit the statements given to the police?" Hotch asked.

Rossi leaned back in his chair.

"According to her husband, she had the same feelings moving up to the day she was taken. He had suggested she report this to the police but with no actual description or proof she was being stalked the police couldn't do anything. She had her hair constantly treated at the hair salon she was taken from to keep the dye job looking fresh," Rossi explained.

"There are a lot of factors here. The unsub is looking exclusively at women with red hair and blue eyes. But notice the relationships of the three women. The first only had a boyfriend, the second was engaged, and the third was married. This unsub knows these things about them, save for the first one where he might have noticed she wasn't wearing a ring. The second and third he could have watched for a full year before abducting them. He had more than enough time to gather the information he needed and find out the right place to take these women from.

"If Catherine's theory is correct, then this unsub is looking for someone to replace someone dear to him that he lost. If the woman isn't perfect then he kills her, dumps the body, and goes out looking for the next candidate," Hotch summed up from the bits of information they had gathered.

He pulled out his cell phone and placed a call to Garcia.

"You've got the office of queen of information," Garcia spoke happily.

"Garcia, I need you to look up deaths in the areas the women were taken from on a November 3rd. Look for any female deaths in which they were married or engaged," Hotch spoke with authority.

"I'm on it boss, the second I get a hit you'll be the first to know," Garcia agreed before hanging up and quickly setting to her work.

Hotch looked to the team members in the room.

"At this current point we can only give the police a cursory profile of the unsub. J.J. I want you to gather everyone for a meeting so we can get to them what we have so far," Hotch spoke to J.J putting her in motion. He looked to Catherine. "Since you came up with the current theory, I want you to explain that to the police. Let them know what his possible motive is and that this date is important for him."

Catherine nodded to him, "Yes, sir."

"Good," he replied.

Moments later, the team, including Catherine, was assembled out in the squad room with the police listening attentively.

"Thank you for gathering everyone. I want to remind you that this is profile is a cursory profile at best but we thought it best to give what information we are certain about as soon as possible," Hotch said as he started the briefing.

One of the officers in the back spoke up.

"If this isn't a full profile, what good will it do?" he asked.

"Even a profile that's not fully formed will give us a place to start. It narrows down the suspect pool and gives us a place to look without looking at every citizen as a suspect," Morgan explained.

Hotch nodded and looked to Catherine.

Catherine caught his eye and stepped up as he stepped back, her gaze taking in all of the officers before her. Her stance becoming more relaxed as this felt more like the teaching she was used to.

"This unsub is looking for a specific type of woman on a specific date. November the 3rd means something to him specifically. The type of woman this man is targeting has red hair and blue eyes. We believe the suspect is looking for this type of woman to replace one he has lost in the past.

"This may have been a fiancé or a wife but somehow he lost her due to death either by accident or disease and now he's looking to replace her to fill a void in his life," she stated to the police.

Reid spoke from off to the side drawing everyone's attention.

"His first victim was random. An accident that seemed to him like fate and set him down this path. But the second and third victims were not accidents. He followed them for months learning everything he could about them trying to discover if they were the woman he was looking for.

He feels like his wife might be out there and is under the delusion that he can find her and replace her. This date might be their anniversary of marriage or simply the first day they met. But it is key to understanding this unsub and his motives," Reid explained.

"This unsub is also very well educated," Rossi added, "He has had formal education in a way a vagrant might not have. Because of this, we believe that he may not even have a criminal record. He most likely was a very productive member of society up until the death of this woman from his life.

"Now, he may still be employed but he might have trouble socializing with his co-workers. He might be easily distracted but still remains meticulous to the tiniest details. More than likely, he will be mostly a loner. Tending to spend long hours alone instead in the company of others no matter how often they ask."

"But we are also looking for an older man rather than a young guy," Morgan amended, "no young guys are going to own a typewriter, let alone know how to use one. He knows how to use one and uses it often. His friends and relatives might even know about him preferring to use that over a more conventional computer."

"Above all, this unsub seems very contained but can be prone to violence and even rage. Once he discovers that these women are lying about matching his perfect woman, he attacks that lie before he kills them. But now he's getting more and more violent. His rage will only increase with each victim," Hotch concluded before the police chief took over.

Hotch gathered his team around him.

"We've done what we can for tonight. For now, we'll head back to the hotel but keep your phones on in case something comes up and we need to move quickly," Hotch told them.

Catherine felt wrong about just ending it like this but she didn't see where else they could look right now.

On the way back to the hotel, Catherine had ridden in the SUV with Reid, and J.J while Hotch, Morgan, and Rossi led them in the other SUV. During the ride, Catherine and Reid had caught up on the things she hadn't told Reid about how her degree and teaching was going. She had asked about how his cases before this had been and about how his mother was.

J.J., whom was driving, had faintly smiled when he simply answered the questions without any thought. The conversation was going on as if they were completely alone in the car. She noted that Reid was sharing and had shared more of his life with Catherine than he had with them.

Once they parked the SUV's at the hotel, they grabbed their luggage out of the back to carry up to their rooms. They had made arrangements for Catherine to share a room with J.J.

They headed up to their rooms in groups talking over various matters. When Reid, J.J., and Catherine neared their rooms, J.J. looked to Reid.

"Reid, if you have a moment I need to talk with you about something," J.J. stated vaguely.

Reid looked a little confused and shrugged.

"All right, sure," he replied.

J.J. looked to Catherine and smiled, "I'll be in shortly."

Catherine nodded, "Sure thing." She glanced to Reid, "'Night Spencer."

"Good night, Catherine," he said smiling softly.

Silently, Catherine turned and entered the room letting the door click softly behind her.

Reid turned and opened his door heading inside but holding it open for J.J. to follow him in. He headed over to the single bed and set his luggage and satchel down on the bed.

J.J. glanced around the room before moving further into the room following Reid but keeping a bit of distance.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Reid asked as he turned to face J.J.

She smiled softly as she set her luggage down.

"Catherine seems to have settled in well," she began.

Reid nodded and replied, "Everyone has been impressed by her today. I knew she'd do well."

"You two are pretty close. You guys talked all the way here."

Reid shrugged. "I guess."

J.J. softly laughed. "Reid, do you don't even see it do you?"

He furrowed his brows and stuck his hands in his pockets.

"See what?"

"See that you two have something. You are more open with her than anyone else. And it's obvious she cares about you."

"She told me before that it was the way she feels about someone like a brother. She took care of me and I returned the favor," he replied seeming rather oblivious for a typically smart man.

She shook her head. "I think you need to talk with her a bit more about that. There's a bit more to it than that. You'll see."

J.J. turned and left the room leaving behind a very confused Reid.


	5. Chapter 4

~Chapter 4~

Catherine had changed for bed while waiting on J.J. to return. She sat with her laptop in bed typing on a paper for her future doctorate thesis.

During her fast typing, J.J. reentered the room carrying her bags and set them on the other bed and Catherine never looked up.

"Welcome back," Catherine said to J.J.

"Thanks," J.J. replied. "You're working hard over there. What are you working on?"

"My future doctorate thesis paper."

"So you're in school now for your doctorate and you decide to come along when you could be back at your home writing your thesis on…what exactly?"

Catherine smirked, "technically that's two questions but I'll answer the second one first. My thesis is on The Evolution of the Vampire through Literature and its Reflection on Society."

J.J. went silent a moment before coming over to sit on the bed next to Catherine.

"Well, I've heard more than enough times from the rest of the team that you are smart enough so a doctorate shouldn't be a surprise. Being one of Reid's closest friends."

Catherine smiled at that as she replied with a happy tone, "Yes, yes I'd say I am. We've known each other for a long time.'

"How long?" a new voice chimed in from the direction of Catherine's laptop that made her jump and nearby dump the laptop in the floor.

She looked down to the screen to see a woman with blond hair held back by some colorful barrettes, a pair of black vintage black glasses framed around brown eyes.

"Who are you and how are you on my webcam on my laptop?" Catherine questioned with a slight tone of hostility.

J.J. chuckled and leaned in, "Hey Penelope." She looked to Catherine. "Catherine, meet Penelope Garcia. She's our technical analyst for the B.A.U."

"Hi," said Penelope with a smile.

Catherine quirked a brow over the rim of her glasses.

"Um, hi. Again…how are you on the webcam of my laptop?" she asked.

"Long story short…I hacked my way in," Penelope replied.

"I don't think that's legal by the way. Just a little FYI."

"Well don't blame me blame Reid."

"And…why would I do that?"

"Because I get these half baked stories about you over the past months when I know there is much more to the story because who else other than a close friend would Reid know to call in on a case?"

Catherine smirked. "True enough."

"Sooo…give me the details. I want to know everything," Garcia stated quickly.

"Everything? There isn't enough time for that if I want to get some sleep tonight," Catherine replied with a chuckle.

"I'll settle for cliff notes then."

"Long story short then with a promise for more details when we meet face to face. Agreed?"

Garcia smiled. "I think I'm going to like you."

"Basically, we met when we were both in college. Not sure what time it was for him but it was my first. I helped him with a problem and then we made a trade that became a friendship. We had to split ways because that's the way our lives were going. We didn't meet again till the case you guys had in Arkansas. The one with the dude killing off homeless people to cleanse them of their sins. Well, everything went well of course considering I'm still alive. He helped me find a job, a place to live, and get back into college. And now, here I am."

"Yeah, I read up on the case. That was a doozy. But, he suggested you for this case. Not only as someone to call on for help but to come along and be part of the team."

Catherine nodded. "True. But what you didn't know is that, during conversations I've had with Spencer over the past months, I'd expressed interest in helping out with a case for you guys. While I do love being a teacher, I also wanted to see what it was like on the other end of the investigation."

Garcia gave a knowing smile. "But I heard you came with a bag packed when you came to the office.

"Do you have no limits Penelope?" Catherine asked laughing.

"I am the queen of information," she replied with mock haughtiness.

"It's true enough but I figured I needed to be prepared in the event I had to leave right away. I left word with my teachers about what was going on and got cleared for a few days."

"So…back story aside…you spend a lot of time with Spenser?"

Catherine shrugged. "Sometimes when I have the free time…then sometimes when he has to drag me away from my work because I haven't gotten out of the house in a while."

J.J. chuckled and looked to Catherine. "Reid has to drag you out into public?"

"Yeah sometimes. We head off to get something to eat, take a walk in a park, or check out a book store. Admittedly, the last doesn't really help a chronic reader," she admitted with a smile. "But it is fun to talk with him about books and our jobs and such."

"Awh, that's sweet," Garcia gushed.

Catherine smiled almost shyly. "Yeah, it is. I enjoy it a lot."

"You like him…don't you?" J.J. questioned.

She thought about that for a moment before a smile crossed her lips. "Yeah, I think I do. I usually don't say anything though. I enjoy it a bit too much to mess this up. It's nice to have someone around that I can talk to with similar interests."

"Like what?" J.J. asked.

"Well, we enjoy reading to each other. We usually trade off and read some from a current book we are reading."

"Catherine, you really should say something to Spencer," Garcia stated matter-of-factly.

"Really?" she spoke with confusion. "Has he said anything?"

"Honey, the boy is clueless when it comes to women but he slips up sometimes and mentions a book you suggested to him or something you told him that either made him laugh or something. You guys just need to get on the same page."

"I don't know. I guess I could try…"

"J.J. while I would normally do this, I entrust you with this task in my absence. I'll talk with the boy myself when I get a chance," Garcia said by way of jokingly giving orders.

J.J chuckled. "Sure Penelope. 'Night."

"Good night Penelope," Catherine said politely.

"'Night my loves," said Garcia before she shut the link down.

In the early hours of the morning, Jennifer Jareau was awoken by her phone. She picked up her phone and answered it without a hint of tiredness in her voice.

"Special Agent Jareau speaking."

"J.J., we've been called in by the police. Looks as though the timeline has been shortened. Monica Vorenburg's body was just discovered in MidwayPark," Hotch spoke firmly.

"Yes, sir. I'll get in contact with the police chief. Do you need me to contact the others?"

"I'll contact Morgan and Rossi while you wake Catherine and contact Reid."

"I'm on it, sir."

J.J. hung up her phone and looked over to Catherine where she had woken during the phone conversation.

"Get dressed. We have to head down to the station."

Catherine sat up in bed looking serious and a bit grave.

"Monica…she's dead…isn't she?" she asked but sounded as if she knew the response.

"How could you tell?"

"Your body language. You stiffened during the conversation. Considering the reason we are all here and the time of morning it is…it could only be something dire."

J.J. nodded.

"I'll call Reid while you get ready, then I'll do the same. Reid will come over and ride with us to the station," she replied as she made the call to Reid.

Catherine quickly rose out of bed and went to get ready for what was sure to be an intense and stressful day.

A section of a local park was lit up in the early morning to a level that made it seem like it was mid-day. The red and blue lights of the police cars lit up the area in its strobes of light. All the sirens had been silenced leaving on the occasional squawk of sound from the police radios.

The area had been cordoned off with yellow police tape with the official vehicles on the perimeter.

Slowly, a pair of black SUVs pulled up to the yellow police tape and stopped. Their headlights turning off as three people emerged from the two cars.

Hotchner led the way with Rossi and Morgan nearby. Just behind them Reid, J.J, and Catherine followed. Although, Catherine followed a bit farther behind not at all eager to view a freshly dead body.

The police chief herself had arrived earlier and looked over to the team from the BAU as they came near the body.

"Seems like you guy are out of luck. With the last woman abducted now dead, looks like it'll be another year before this one resurfaces," Chief Landry stated somewhat dejected.

"Even then, we need to look at the body and the evidence that could be here. If there is evidence to find, it may lead us to the unsub behind these murders. Eventually they all slip up in one way or another," Hotch stated.

Chief Landry shrugged.

"All right then. Well, come over and take a look then," she motioned over to the body of the woman lying on the ground.

The body of Monica Vorenburg wasn't sprawled out of the ground but carefully placed. Her clothing was neat and oddly clean for someone laid out on the grass.

However, her professionally dyed red hair had been hacked off. This time there were definite cuts on her scalp where the unsub's rage had driven him to show signs of the tool used.

"Seems the unsub didn't use scissors at all to cut the victim's hair but some form of knife by the way it cut into her skin during the process," Hotch began as he knelt near the body.

"His rage goes deeper this time," Rossi pointed out as he pointed to her scalp. "You can see where he even pulled her hair out instead of cutting it. But by the lack of blood flow, it suggests this was done after she was killed."

Morgan looked down over the woman from where he stood opposite Hotch.

"But she's still clean and neatly dressed. As if he felt bad about what he had to do. He still left the note propped up against the body," he added. "Yet, the method of killing here is more straightforward. A sharp blows to the back of her head. He let his rage get away from him."

Hotch looked over his shoulder to where Catherine was standing near Reid. J.J. having gone off to speak with the officers that had found the body.

"Catherine, see if the position of this note means anything or if it's just placed there without thought," Hotch ordered softly.

She took a slow but shallow breath not wanting to take in the smell of blood as she nodded. Catherine slowly came forward and knelt down next to Hotch before looking to the woman. Her eyes took in the position of the note where it was leant up against her hip.

"I don't know if it means anything as I don't know if the other notes were placed in the same place on the body. However, the note is leant up against her hip, as close as one could get to her pocket without actually putting the note in the pocket.

"The possibility that the woman he lost was likely carrying a note for him when she passed seems likely to me but that's just an assumption. Otherwise, why place it there? It's placed on her left side…it would be interesting to know if she is left handed or if it's the unsub or even the person he lost. Considering he is trying to fill in a role; however, I would say it's more likely that the person he is trying to replace was left handed," Catherine softly relayed to the members of the team even though some of it was simply guess work or questions that came to mind.

"At the very least, we have a pattern. Three women, in their 30s, who the unsub believed to have red hair and blue eyes that were placed in a park," Morgan pointed out.

"A park must mean something to our unsub. The first time they met…when he proposed…" Rossi thought aloud.

"In any case, this unsub is back out looking for another woman. With the decreased timeline, he could strike sooner," Hotch stated looking out over the park.

Back at the police station, the BAU team had gathered and were going over the various bits of information they had gathered while they waited on the coroner's report.

Catherine sat at the table with the previous typed verses and now the newest typed note.

"What's the quote this time?" Reid asked as he looked over Catherine's shoulder.

"It's from a Keats work called Endymion: A Poetic Romance; Book 1; 'A Thing of Beauty'. The quote reads: 'A thing of beauty is a joy forever / Its loveliness increases; it will never / Pass into nothingness; but still will keep / A bower quiet for us.' This quote, taken out of context only shows the love he has not what's under the surface. Taken into context with the other quotes, the writer is getting more obsessed.

"In studying forms of writing, one tends to hear a bit about the psychological side of things. The first quote is expressive of the attraction phase; the second shows the anxious phase, and this third one embodies the obsessive phase. The poem this quote is taken from is the man in the story talking about how in love he is with this woman to the point of obsession," she recounted softly as she looked over the three typed letters.

"This unsub isn't done then," Reid stated as he took a seat next to Catherine. "He still has one more phase to go…the destructive phase where the object of obsession will either be had by him or destroyed."

Catherine nodded and looked to Reid. "I know I'm no trained profiler…but no matter what the police say we can't leave. He will strike again and…I honestly don't think he's going to wait for a year before taking the next woman."

"Unfortunately, that's not up to us, Catherine. If the police chief tells us to leave we have to leave."

She sighed. "I get that but that doesn't mean it's right."

The rest of the team came in from talking with the police and giving a more detailed profile of the unsub now that they knew some things for certain.

"We have to move quickly on this information. The police are getting upset over the circumstances. We were here and we couldn't stop him. If we don't get a break in this case, we might be taken off it," Hotch relayed to the members of the team. "So what do we have?"

"Right now the coroner is working on the autopsy. He will call us the moment he knows for certain the time of death and if there is any evidence left on the vic's body," Rossi stated.

"What about the letter?" Hotch asked looking to Catherine.

She repeated to Hotchner what she had told to Reid and then added, "and it is to be noted that the paper and typewriter used are the exact same as in the previous letters."

"Have we heard from Garcia?" Hotch asked.

Morgan dialed the number of Garcia and put her on speaker.

"Hey baby girl, tell me you got somethin'," Morgan joked with the edge of seriousness.

"Hello my loves. You'd be surprised at how many deaths have happened in Texas. But narrowing down the search for professors or their facsimile that have lost a loved one in the past 10 years with the factoids you told me gave me 5 possible men," Garcia replied.

"We need to narrow that list down. Weed out older men that aren't physically capable to take a woman and those who aren't current professors at a university," Rossi ordered.

"Although...," Catherine thought aloud.

"What is it?" Hotch asked.

"Considering the level of education needed to be comfortable with this sort of literature, I would think that this isn't something an undergrad would come across. I didn't come across things like this till I focused my literary degree on this time period of writers. It's more likely that this isn't just any professor but one that specializes in the time frame these writers are known for," she suggested.

"You got that Garcia?" Morgan asked.

"Yes, my loves. I'm on it," Garcia chirped happily before hanging up.


	6. Chapter 5

~Chapter 5 ~

Some hours later, the sun having risen and rose up into the sky at last, Aubry Fullerton had headed out early from her home to head to a local Cajun seafood restaurant. She was pulling the lunch shift but as the manager she had to get to work earlier than normal to make sure everything was set up properly and cleaned.

She had been working furiously for the past few hours preparing her reports from the previous day's work.

With some of her chores behind her, she headed out the back door of the restaurant to take out the garbage. Aubry had just placed the garbage in the dumpster hidden in a fenced in area when a sound behind her drew her attention.

A man rushed her and, before she could scream, had grabbed her and pressed a white cloth to her mouth. She fought furiously, scratching at his arms and trying to kick him.

However, the chloroform still worked its charms sucking her under despite her vain efforts to fight off the feeling.

Morgan and Rossi were going over the report that had finally come in from the coroner.

"Seems the C.O.D. was the blows to the head. Apparently, there had been three or four distinct blows to the back of her head. The first blow would have done the job so the rest was overkill. The hairs in the wound proves the blows were landed before the unsub chopped her hair off," Morgan cited from the report.

"But the cuts on her scalp seem to be from an old style razor blade. This guy really is old school," Morgan commented.

"What seems odd to me is that in all of the autopsies we've seen on this case that none of the women had any marks showing they were tied up at all. Either he is using some other means to restrain them or he's keeping them drugged enough so he doesn't have to restrain them."

"Either way, he is being extremely careful. There are no prints on their bodies anywhere. Not even a stray hair."

"His movements are precise enough it makes me wonder about his educational training," Rossi muttered.

Catherine had headed out into the squad room to fix herself a cup of coffee. She yawned halting her efforts to add sugar to her cup. An act she rarely did but the lack of sleep and early hours made it necessary.

"Ah, the profiler's breakfast," Reid's voice sounded just over her shoulder.

She chuckled as she finished stirring her coffee and glanced over to Reid.

"Yes well, figured why not. At this rate, this'll be my lunch too," Catherine replied as she sipped on her tepid coffee.

"We might have to do something about that. At the very least we could see about putting in an order when the police send a runner out to get their lunches. I'll buy of course," he smiled kindly.

Catherine grinned back to him. "Might just take you up on that offer, Spencer. You know Spence…I'll have to take you out sometime. I believe by the last tally it was my turn to pick a place to hang out at and discuss our current reads."

"I believe you're right. We should make plans for that."

She nodded in response. Then, the conversation she had last night with J.J. and Penelope.

Reid noted her eyes had gone distant meaning she was deep in thought.

"What is it?" he asked concerned.

Catherine refocused her eyes on Reid. The words were starting to form on her lips when the noise level in the station rose sharply drawing their attention. She set down her cup of coffee and hurried over with Reid close behind to the first officer.

The rest of the team emerged from the meeting area to see what was going on.

"What's happened?" Catherine asked when she finally got the officer's attention.

"Seems this guy decided not to wait. Another woman matching the description of the other women has been abducted from outside of her workplace approximately 45 minutes ago," he quickly told Catherine before following his partner.

She looked to Reid and then hurried over to Hotchner.

"The unsub struck again. A woman was just taken," Reid quickly stated as they drew close enough.

"To the vehicles. We have a chance to catch this guy. Get on the phone to Garcia and see where she is with that list," Hotch commanded to J.J.

J.J. handed the keys of the SUV to Catherine who looked up to Reid with a grin, "Looks like I'll be driving then."

Reid smirked as they hurried after the other members of the team.

Within the hour, a swarm of police vehicles along with the two black SUV's of the B.A.U. had converged outside the restaurant that was officially in the Bedford city limits.

Hotch led his team inside to meet with the officers and police chief that were taking a statement from the employees of the establishment.

Chief Landry looked over as they approached.

"Looks like you're guy struck again. The woman's name is Aubry Fullerton, age 37. She's the manager here and had taken the garbage out back and when she didn't return they went to look for her and discovered she was missing but her vehicle was still here," the chief explained. "We have to tred careful here. The local Chief is feeling feisty about this crime on his turf."

"What is her description?" Rossi asked.

"Well, seems this time your boy got lucky. According to her coworkers, she's a natural red head with blue eyes."

"Is she engaged or married?" Morgan questioned.

Chief Landry frowned slightly. "What's that got to do with this?"

"Please answer the question, Chief Landry," Hotcher stated with a soothing tone.

She sighed, "Seems she was widowed. Her husband died some years ago. Cancer."

"Thank you, Chief Landry," Hotch replied as the Chief nodded and moved off to the next employee.

Hotch turned and looked to his team and motioned them outside of the madness that was brewing inside the restaurant.

Once outside, the team circled up.

"Now that this unsub has moved quickly and found what he was looking for our window to find her is getting smaller by the hour," he told them.

"If he only took her half an hour ago, it's unlikely that he knows for certain that she's a natural redhead," Rossi stated.

Morgan interjected with a question. "But how did he know about this woman at all?"

"Maybe…he's met this woman before… It would make sense that if he's eaten at this restaurant before that he might have seen this woman and when the last one didn't work out he remembered the woman he met here," Reid suggested.

At this point, Hotch's cell phone rang and, at seeing who was calling, he turned on the speaker. "Hotch," he briefly stated.

"Hello my darlings, I've been down the rabbit hole and back again in my search and come up with a match. Dr. Olivier Fredrickson, age 42. Lives in downtown Dallas and works as an English professor at the DallasCommunity College. And his realm of study was the Romantic Period writers.

"A few years back he lost his wife, Auria Fredrickson, to a fatal automobile accident on November 3rd while she was on her way to their anniversary dinner. She had red hair and blue eyes, age 37. They had been married 10 years. But here is the truly creepylishous fact, according to the information I gleaned from my search that she had a set route before her rendezvous.

"According to the officers that responded to the accident and traced her whereabouts found she had made a track from the post office where she mailed some letters, the dry cleaners to pick up her suit jacket, and finally the hair salon where she had gone to get her hair done before their dinner plans at a local seafood restaurant," Garcia quickly laid out for them.

Catherine looked shocked, "So the places these women were taken from weren't a coincidence. He found these women outside places similar to the places that his wife went to the night she was killed."

"Garcia, you do have a possible location for him?" Hotch asked.

"It has to be a place he has tons of privacy to keep these women where no one would notice his comings and goings," Morgan pointed out.

"Okay, a building with privacy….easily accessed…," Garcia spoke herself as she furiously typed at her keyboard. "Bingo. On the Dallas Community College Campus, they have been remodeling some of the older dorms on campus. The project have since been pushed back due to lack of funds. One in particular has a basement, it's held no residents over the past 5 years, and it's far enough off campus that no one would notice a thing. Sending the address to your PDA's…now."

"Good work, Garcia," Hotch congratulated her before hanging up. He looked over his shoulder and saw the police chief speaking with her officers.

"Chief Landry!" He called over to her.

She came over to see what he wanted. "Yeah?"

"We have a possible lead on a suspect and a location. We need to get you and your men over there as soon as possible. He could move at any moment," Hotch told her briefly.

"You got it," she hurried off to tell her officers as they scrambled for their vehicles.

Morgan looked to Catherine. "Toss me those keys, girlie. I'll get us there."

She pulled the keys out of her pocket and tossed them to Morgan before the two groups raced to their own vehicles, turned on their sirens and lights, and raced off for the location Garcia had given them.

The time it took to reach the college campus seemed like an eternity to Catherine even as they speed through the streets and skidded sharply around corners while the traffic parted for them in the wake of the police vehicles that were ahead of them.

She gripped the handle of the door hard on their multiple city flight with the local officers being called in Dallas to report the situation.

Her stomach lurched slightly as they skid to a halt outside the perimeter set by the police around the dilapidated college dorm.

Reid gave her a knowing smile and gently squeezed her hand before they both got out of the SUV before joining the rest of the team who had gathered around the two police chiefs.

"Look, we don't need all you people steppin' in on this case. This is for the Dallas PD to handle," stated the tall, male, and yet introduced police chief.

Hotch stepped forward with his commanding presence and flashed his badge.

"I'm Agent Aaron Hotchner of the BAU. We were called in on this case by Chief Landry concerning the disappearances of three women in the area and the death of two of them. The woman being held hostage inside that building is a resident of Bedford, TX. By law that make this a federal crime.

"I understand you must do your job and we want your help in dealing with this situation. I will gladly sit in with you and explain everything but we need to deal with the fact that right now that woman needs to be our first priority."

The new police chief considered his words for a few moments before nodding once.

"All right then. Chief Sumner at your service," he replied.

"Thank you Chief Sumner. May I ask what the current condition of the situation is?"

"Seems the man inside had all ready locked the barricaded the doors from the inside before we arrived on the scene. Once we got here and prepared to move in, he told us that fact and that if any man tried to enter the building he would kill the woman and then himself."

Hotch nodded as he looked up to the building and then to his team who had suited up with bullet proof armor on the way over. His gaze returned to the building.

"There has to be a way to talk to him," Hotch stated.

"Well, we tried to communicate with him but he told us he didn't want to hear from any man. Just wanted us to leave him and his wife alone."

Catherine glanced up to the building as a plan…both dangerous and stupid, blossomed into her mind. She thought it over and she saw no other way.

Quickly, she stepped forward. "Hotch. Would you say I've proven my ability to handle the situation to the best of my ability and followed your instructions to the letter?"

Hotch looked to Catherine. "What are you saying?"

She took a slow breath. "I don't see any way around this. Yes, there are other women out here but they are all police officers. They are going to try and talk to him from a stand point where he wouldn't respond well. I know how to talk to him. I'm a fellow English mind and a young woman. I know I'm not a profiler but that makes me an even better candidate to see if he'll talk to me."

Reid looked at her shocked. "No, you aren't going in there. You can't." He looked to Hotch. "Hotch, you can't let her do this."

"Look, I know I'm only a temporary member on this team. But you can fit me with a wire or some ear piece so you can hear what's going on and can talk to me and even a bullet proof vest," she added hastily to prove she was willing to do what it took.

Hotch looked to Catherine and nodded. "All right. But if I tell you to get out you do it."

"I promise," she replied seriously.

He nodded as he began to send her off with Morgan to fit her with the mic, earpiece, and bulletproof vest.

Reid followed quickly at her heels. "Catherine, this is dangerous. I don't want you to go in."

Catherine looked to Reid. "I know, Reid. But you're the genius here. Think about it. Is there any other way to get someone inside to talk to this guy and save his life?"

That thought halted Reid as Morgan finished with the mic and earpiece and began working to adjust a spare bullet proof vest to fit her smaller frame.

"See? You know I'm right. I can do this, Reid. You need to trust me."

"You're good," Morgan said drawing her attention. "Do you know how to use a gun?"

Catherine nodded. "I've got a permit and I visit the range three times a week."

He held out a small pistol in a holster.

"Attach this around your ankle and use it only if you have to," Morgan watched her carefully.

She looked at the gun and took a slow breath before taking it and looked at him in the eye. "I swear only to use it if my life is in danger."

He nodded before moving off to the others.

Catherine knelt down and lifted up her pants leg to strap the holster around her ankle. When she flipped the pants leg back over it, she thanked God that she had worn flared trousers today.

Slowly she rose and looked to Reid who had a lost look on his face. Carefully, she reached up and placed her hands on either side of his face.

"Reid, I swear, I'll come back," she promised.

He placed his hands over hers as if touching her for reassurance.

She softly smiled, "Come here you."

Without thinking, she pulled him towards her and kissed him gently but lovingly. After a moment or two, she slowly pulled away from him and looked into his shocked eyes.

"Now, you'll owe me…and you know I always collect," she gently but teasingly told him.

Reid smirked. "You're on, Catherine."

He finally released her hands and walked her back over to the other agents who were recovering from the interaction they had witnessed.

Hotch nodded to her with a stern expression. "Ready?" He held out a loud speaker to her.

She nodded and took it from him before moving so she could be seen by the unsub from the window the police had seen him in.

"Doctor Fredrickson. My name is Catherine Harmon. I want to come in and talk to you for a moment," she called out over the loudspeaker.

Slowly, his head could be seen looking out the window on the bottom floor. She waved to him so he could see who she was.

He yelled out the window, "You can come in. But only you! If anyone else comes in, she dies!"

"Agreed, Doctor Fredrickson," she replied before handing the loud speaker over to Hotch.

Slowly, she moved around the police vehicle they were using as a barrier and held up both hands as she headed towards the nearest door. Once she arrived, she heard him telling her to wait for his signal.

Catherine stopped where she was as she heard the chains holding the doors shut clanging together. The silence settled in for a moment.

"Enter," she heard a male voice say.

She reached for the handle of the door and opened it slowly revealing her solitary self to Dr. Fredrickson. Carefully, she moved forward with both her hands up still as the door shut behind her.

Her eyes took in Fredrickson holding a woman tightly against his body with the straight razor to her throat that he'd used to hack Monica's hair off.

"Move over there," he ordered and motioned with a jerk of his head.

Silently, she obeyed and moved into the room leaving him between her and the exit. Then, she turned to look at him calmly with her hands still raised.

"May I lower my hands, Dr. Fredrickson?" she asked politely.

He nodded and Catherine lowered her hands.

"You're not a cop," he stated.

"No I'm not."

"Who are you then?"

"My name is Catherine Harmon. I'm a literature professor at the University of Virginia. I'm currently working on obtaining my Doctorate from the same university."

He looked confused. "Why is a literature professor in the middle of a police situation?"

"I was called in because of my background with literature and my previous experience with the B.A.U. team of the F.B.I."

"So you from the F.B.I.?"

"No sir. I met them when they were investigating a case in Arkansas. During that case, I helped them out and they ended up saving my life when the…bad guy tried to make me part of his game. I lost a few friends because of him."

"And now you're here…"

"As you say."

"I just want them to leave me and my wife alone," he spouted quickly.

Catherine glanced to the woman who was certainly scared but seemed rather contained considering. Then, she looked back to Fredrickson.

"Sir…I know you don't want to hurt her. You care about her don't you?"

Slowly, he nodded. "She's my whole world now."

"I can understand that. I can tell you care very deeply for her. I don't want anything to happen to her either."

"Then, you need to tell them to leave and she won't be harmed."

"Dr. Fredrickson, I understand you need to feel loved. You lost someone very near and dear to your heart. I couldn't imagine how hurt and lost you must have felt that day," she said very soothingly. Seeing he was listening intently to her and relaxing his grip, she plowed on. "Her name was Auria…right? And now, here we have Aubry. Aubry, who looks so much like her in every way. And you thought…just maybe you have found your second chance at happiness."

"I needed her," he quaked as his emotions began to spill out. "My wife was taken from me. But then…I saw Aubry at the restaurant."

"But Aubry here…she knows how you feel. Don't you Aubry?" Catherine nodded slowly to her.

"What? What is she talking about?" Fredrickson asked Aubry.

"My husband. He passed away some time ago. He had cancer," she told him. "He was my entire world."

He looked shocked as the blade began to lower from her neck.

Aubry slowly turned and looked to him. "I know what it's like to miss someone so badly you think you'll never feel ever again."

"Yes," he whispered softly. The blade utterly forgotten as that hand lowered.

Seeing her chance, Aubry pushed away from him and ran over towards Catherine.

"No!" he shouted as he raised the blade and ran towards them.

Catherine quickly reached down and pulled the gun from the holster on her ankle and fired up at him. The gun shot echoing in the empty space. She looked up from her crouched position in shock at Fredrickson who had stopped just a few steps from her. A red patch slowly blossomed across his dress shirt.

He dropped to his knees as he dropped the knife. His eyes looked to Catherine.

"I'm coming my love," he breathed softly before falling to the ground.

The blood pounded in Catherine's ears as she knelt in the suddenly quiet room, her arm still pointing the gun.

Suddenly, that silence was interrupted by the door being kicked in and the entire B.A.U. team, followed closely by the police, flooding into the room and taking everything in.

Catherine slowly set the gun on the ground and shakily rose to her feet.

The police quickly moved over to Aubry and wrapped a blanket about her shoulders. Aubry glanced to Catherine giving her a look of gratitude before being led from the room.

Hotch and the others slowly holstered their weapons as Catherine began to recover from the shock of her actions.

Reid hurried toward her and hugged her tightly. Her arms wrapped around his body without a thought and held him tightly.

"It's all right, Catherine. It's okay," Reid told her soothingly.

"You did well, Catherine. Know that I don't regret sending you in," Hotch informed her giving her the best compliment he could ever give anyone.

Catherine wordlessly nodded to him as she held onto Reid and the team slowly filed out of the room leaving the police to handle the body.


	7. Epilogue

"True happiness is…to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future."

- Lucius Annaeus Seneca

~Epilogue~

Catherine was settled on the couch on the private jet snuggled up under the arm of Spencer as her gaze traveled out the far window. The other members of the team had long since fallen asleep.

"How are you feeling?" Reid asked.

Catherine looked up to him and softly smiled. "Better now."

"Good…you had me worried for a while there."

"I'm sorry I worried you, Spence."

"Just promise you won't do anything like that again."

She chuckled. "I can't promise that Spencer. I honestly don't see this happening again but if it does…you know what will be expected of me. In my every day life, I can promise not to do this ever again."

He sighed and smiled. "I suppose I'll have to deal with that."

Catherine smiled. "Besides, I don't want you to use up your I.O.U. on something like that."

Reid smiled gently down to her.

"You know what my schedule is like. I'm barely around."

"But we've still managed to hang out together even with our odd schedules."

"What are you saying?"

She grinned. "I'm saying I'll give it a try if you will. I'd love to make one of our dates a real one."

"Are you…asking me out?" Reid asked with a smirk.

"Well, I figured Penelope was right. If I wait for you to ask me, I'll still be waiting."

"So…that's what was behind that phone call I got earlier."

Catherine grinned. "That was all her. I'm only the latest one to learn that when Garcia has her mind set on something that she'll do anything to make it happen."

Reid chuckled softly. "I think I'd like to repay that I.O.U. now."

She grinned and replied, "Better make it count. Because I wanna keep going forward with you."


End file.
